My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and asking deep questions.
There is a voice inside of you
Shel Silverstein
That whispers all day long,
“I feel this is right for me,
I know that this is wrong.”
No teacher, preacher, parent, friend
Or wise man can decide
What’s right for you–just listen to
The voice that speaks inside.
Whoever you are, you are human.
Barbara Brown Taylor
Wherever you are, you live in the world,
which is just waiting for you to notice the holiness in it.
“The more you turn inward, the more available the sacred becomes. When you sit in silence and turn your gaze toward the holy mystery you once called God, the mystery follows you back out into the world. When you walk with purposeful focus on breath and birdsong, your breathing and the twitter of the chickadee reveal themselves as miracles…”
Mirabai Starr
Radiometric dating suggests our Earth is about 4.5 billion years old.
That’s a lot of birthdays. It must be time for cake!
I sit quietly on a rock looking out over the meadow and Dixon Reservoir.
mws
I feel gratitude for this morning sanctuary, this sacred and holy place.
With my journal and pen in hand, I try to express what I am seeing and experiencing.
My sense of hearing is alert to the chatter of the magpies and the songs of robins and meadowlarks.
I feel the gentle but cool breeze that reminds me it’s still early spring.
I’m noticing the color green beginning to dominate in the trees and grasses of the meadow.
I watch the ever changing and beautiful clouds along the eastern horizon
as they add a feeling of mystery to this moment.
Within me is a knowing that what I’m experiencing is an expression of the Divine
and the miracle is that we are here at all.1This was inspired by the quote “The miracle is that we are here at all” by Richard Wagamese, Embers: One Ojibway’s Meditations
Behold this day. It is yours to make.
Black Elk
It’s always a good way to start my day by watching the dawning of a new day. It helps me to filter out the bulls**t the world will throw out there. So, after making a chai latte I made my way to Pineridge Natural Area. There is something healing and nurturing about sitting above Dixon Reservoir and being a witness to its gifts. Yes, the day is ours to make.
“We are a community old in experience but young in wonder.”
Steven Charleston
I am grateful for the gifts of sunrise, community, experience, wisdom, awe and wonder!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Sometimes I can be overwhelmed when too many conversations are going on in my head. These disruptive conversations can be a distraction from the present moment. It reminds me of the intense chatter of the magpie sitting on the fence post near me as I witness the sunrise. It seems their only focus is about grabbing my attention, pulling me away. And, that chatter is so different, an irritating noise, rather than the songs of the heart I hear from the meadowlark or chickadee, which for me is more of an invitation to watch and listen. I am finding it a gift in learning to let go of my mind’s chatter and be more receptive to listening to my inner “silent land.” I hope you have had a wonderful Monday.